A Little too Late
by GreyFireRage
Summary: She let go because it hurt. And now he is suffering.


**A/N: First Gruvia story! Juvia is just to freaking adorable. And a hit of Gajevy ^_^**

 **Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is the sole property of Hiro Mashima. All characters included in the story belongs to him.**

* * *

Juvia smiled, even though it didn't reach her eyes.

It wasn't anything new. But everyday it just sounded more realistic and she did not like realistic. Every time she heard him utter those words, she denied it. _No, her Gray-sama will reciprocate her feelings one day._

That _one day_ had slowly started slipping away from her. Now, even her denial was working against her. Her mind had started accepting those words.

 _I'll never return you feelings._

 _You are just a nakama._

 _I am sorry but I don't like you._

 _You embarrass me with your crazy ways._

 _You need to stop._

 _No._

 _Never._

 _Quit it._

She never did though. But her resolve started breaking. Slowly but surely.

She had slowly started letting go of Gray. First she gave up making stuff for him. Gifts, food, accessories… it seemed he didn't care about what she gave him. It felt like he didn't care about the feelings she put in the things she made for him, sometimes staying up all night. Her gifts, she felt, to him were of no importance.

Second, she stopped clinging to him. He had told her to give him space. She had turned a deaf ear to his request but now he was getting his wish. She still had that love-crazed look and she still hung around him, but the touching stopped. She even swallowed her jealousy and put on a brave front. No clinging meant NO clinging of all forms. Period. She felt her touch was like poison to him.

Thirdly, she stopped asking him to join her on missions. It was always clear that he didn't really want to but he still took up her request because of Erza and Lucy. And Mira, yes, her too. But he never took it because he wanted to. It was because three women would practically skin him alive if he made her cry. She felt her requests were obligations to him, formalities because they were nakamas.

But the thing that was most difficult to let go of was her way of calling him. She had added the honorific "-sama" to his name since the first time she met him. It was special for her. But she had to let that go. So she did. Painfully, yes, but she did. Her Gray-sama became simply Gray.

She didn't stop loving him, oh no. Letting go didn't mean she couldn't love him at all. After all, her love wasn't so superficial to be forgotten about in a week's time. She stood away from him, smiled at him from afar, didn't touch him, didn't follow him. She was just there but not with him.

Everyone in the guild could see the changes in Juvia's behavior. But no one said a word. Why? Because they knew nothing could be said or done by them. Only a specific ice-mage was capable of bring back the old Juvia. The energetic, overly dramatic, over imaginative, super loyal, selfless lover…

* * *

Gray wasn't the one to notice things. But this he did. Because it was painfully obvious.

At first, he enjoyed it. Why? Because he could finally stop hurting her, rejecting her and giving her false hope. Now he didn't have to feel guilty of the harsh words towards her because they weren't needed anymore.

Then slowly his happiness turned sour. He missed her affections, her attentions, her smile that only surfaced when she was talking to him, her over imagination about the two of them…

His days became boring and monotonous because she wasn't around to enhance it up. Well she was around the guild but never near him. He looked at her and she smiled, but that was the smile everyone in the guild got. It wasn't her special smile that was reserved for him.

She had stopped using "-sama" to his name. At first, he was surprised but glad. But now, he was depressed- he was just a nakama for her. Nothing special, just a regular comrade. She had stopped pestering him to go on missions together. She took more jobs with Gajeel or Cana and that irritated him. The way she pestered Gajeel to go on jobs with her was even more infuriating. He watched her from afar, whining at Gajeel who finally gave in. And then she squealed and thanked the iron dragon slayer. Something in his chest twisted painfully.

She had stopped giving him stuff. Instead, her time was invested towards Gajeel, Cana and hell even Laxus. The lightening mage even looked flustered when she had given him a new set of headphones for his birthday. Later, she had invited him to some music concert. She had explained that she shared the same music preference as him and was wondering if he wanted to check it out. The feeling the ice mage felt that day was something very sinister. It wasn't just jealousy… it was on a whole new level. It was an unexplainable rage, a rage that wanted to rip apart the lightening mage for grinning and accepting her invitation.

She had stopped clinging to him, jumping at him when he came back from missions, following him around. And if he said it didn't hurt, that would've been the biggest lie spoken by anyone under the sun.

It was after a month of this behavior from the water mage that Gray finally realized two important things.

1\. He had carelessly tossed away her feeling for him, thinking everything will be fine if she gets over him.

2\. He was paying for it dearly because he was absolutely in love with her and nothing was fine.

* * *

Mirajane was tired of watching Gray drink his sorrows away. She pitied him but a small part of her felt oddly satisfied. He had brought this upon himself after all. But she shook that feeling away and searched the guild for a blunette that wasn't Levy.

She was busily talking to Gajeel about god knows what. Gajeel's face looked sour and Juvia looked triumphant. Obviously, the iron dragon slayer wasn't happy with the conversation.

Gray had his fourth glass of beer as he saw Mirajane staring at something with a small smile. His eyes followed hers and landed on a smug looking water mage. His insides turned all mushy even if his chest hurt. She looked beautiful, she had tied her hair up in a ponytail and she was wearing a light blue dress that was cool enough for the summer. Gray realized that he had never seen her in normal summer clothing.

She was clearly teasing the pierced man who was red on the face. She was laughing and Gajeel was glaring at her half heartedly. She smacked his arm and spoke something and Gajeel stood up abruptly and walked away from her. Laughing, she got up too and followed him outside the guild. Gray's eyes remained on her, hoping she would look at him, just one glace would have been enough. But she didn't. Maybe before she would've, but now… now she didn't even talk to him unless absolutely necessary. Turning back to his drink, he gulped it down.

"You realize how she had felt for all those years?"

Gray looked up. Mirajane's face was void of expression but her tone was serious, too serious. Gray looked away. He couldn't answer. Mira didn't need one. She sighed.

"Juvia moved on. She let you go. She let you have what you wanted. Aren't you happy? Happy that she is not jumping at you? That she isn't _annoying_ you?"

Gray felt his throat tighten. No one had spoken to him about this after Juvia started to distance herself from him. Erza and Lucy gave him looks. Gajeel glared at him. Levy gave him a sympathetic smile. Even Natsu and Laxus gave him looks of disappointment. Yes, even Laxus. Worst was Cana- she simply ignored him. Juvia meant a lot to her, practically her little sister and Gray was her best friend. She just didn't say anything to him or acknowledged his presence unless _absolutely_ necessary. But no one bluntly told him anything. Until now, that is.

And Mira was right. He should be happy that his stalker moved on. He should be glad that the person he swore to that he'll never love her more than a comrade finally heard his words. He should be fucking ecstatic that she wasn't annoying him anymore, embarrassing him anymore…

But he wasn't. He wasn't happy or glad or _fucking ecstatic_ because he wanted her to _not_ move on, he wanted her to keep on loving him that way she did, he wanted her to keep annoying him with her affections, embarrassing him with her crazy antics…

"Too late for that now, huh?" Mira spoke quietly.

He didn't know he said his thoughts out loud (must be the alcohol) but he knew it was too late.

* * *

Gajeel was tired of having the rainwoman around. He actually missed the times she used to be crazy and over the top with the icehole. He knew that Juvia was trying to erase her feelings so she acted nonchalantly around the ice mage. But he was also the only one who knew how she cried herself to sleep every night. And it must always be fucking difficult to make sure it doesn't rain, just so no one can see through her façade.

So he humored her. She was his first friend, first person to call family. She was there for him and he would be there for her. So he let her be. Her imagination wasn't as wild as it used to be. She wasn't as crazy as she used to be. She wasn't as energetic as she used to be. But she was there. And he wasn't going to let that slip away. So he let her tease him about a little bookworm and give him advise that he would not likely use (didn't work for her now did it?). He confessed he had a thing for the tiny blunette and he promised her he would do something about it. Why? He didn't know but it made her smile genuinely for the first time so it was worth it.

Speaking about the tiny bookworm, she had plagued his mind ever since he confessed out loud about liking her. Juvia had been really happy.

"Oh! Juvia is so happy! Gajeel-kun finally fessed up!"

But then she had given him a small smile, genuine but small and filled with pain.

"Levy-san also likes you Gajeel-kun. She isn't like Juvia but she shows her love for you in her own way. Don't break her heart."

 _Like mine_ was left for him to understand. He didn't know why but he had felt really nauseating. His stomach did not like the thought breaking _his_ Shrimp's heart. But he was haunted by his own demons, his own past. What he had done to Levy… how he had laughed at her pain… And he cursed himself. Juvia had understood his feelings without speaking.

"You have changed. You are not what you were before. Just like Juvia. We both are now Fairy Tail mages." She had taken his hand in her own and squeezed it in an assuring manner. "Let Levy-san in. She is a chance at happiness, true happiness for you. Don't throw it away."

Again some words were left for him to understand.

And he did. He decided he will do something about his feelings for the solid script mage.

Juvia watched as Gajeel finally and awkwardly asked Levy out. He was stuttering and turning red as he wasn't so good with words. So he sighed and muttered something like "fuck it!" and just smacked his lips to hers.

The entire guild cheered while the two pulled away, blushing. Gajeel's man points had dropped several numbers due to his blushing and stuttering, but Levy's smile made all of it worthy. Juvia giggled and gave a thumbs up to her best friend. Beside her, Cana stood, smirking at the new couple.

"You did it."

Juvia smiled, finally it reached her eyes even if it wasn't the same as before.

"Yes. Juvia did."

Her eyes travelled towards the bar where a black haired mage sat. He was staring at Gajeel and Levy too. But he wasn't joining in the cheers and smiles. Instead, his face was blank. Juvia turned away.

"Gajeel-kun will not make the same mistake while Juvia is around."

* * *

Gray stared at Gajeel and Levy. Both blushing but there was something about them that Gray envied.

Gajeel, the mighty dragon slayer, was grinning at the blunette even though his cheeks were red. Levy looked like a tomato but she had a smile, a big smile as she looked up to Gajeel. He muttered something to her and she blushed even a deeper shade of red but her eyes never left him. And that smile.

Levy's smile… It was all and only for Gajeel. It was the same as Juvia's smile, the one that was reserved for him… Just not anymore.

Gray tore his eyes away from the new couple. He felt his energy draining as he turned around to leave the guild. Then he saw her. She was standing with Cana, smiling. But he could immediately say it wasn't _his_ smile. It reached her eyes though but it just wasn't his. Cana saw him staring but he didn't take his eyes off. She was happy without him. And that made him feel like a grade A asshole because a part of his selfish heart didn't want her to be so. That only meant that her feelings for him are lost. Gone. Just like he had wished for.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** **How sad... Rest is up to your imagination. I had a longgggggggg version of this story but it felt better to leave it at this.**

 **Oh and a little bit of Gajevy never goes wrong, does it? :D They are so cute together!**

 **Leave a review about your thoughts. Constructive criticism is always welcomed.**

 **Thank you :D**

 **P.S. Thank you to** **Orphia for the correction. Antics, not antiques XD**

 **Do tell me if you find anymore mistakes/spelling errors.**


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